


It's Not A Date

by Shade_Penn1



Series: It's A Work In Progress [3]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Sickfic, a wild Crypto appears, and Elliott gets drunk and says a lot more than wanted too, for plot reasons, second chapter angst, though only the first chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-23 13:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20892515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shade_Penn1/pseuds/Shade_Penn1
Summary: (Sequel to 'Backpacking' and 'This Changes Nothing')





	1. Chapter 1

Something no one likely expected, but should have probably seen coming in hindsight, was how the rapid shift in temperatures and environment would affect them all. The chill which Elliott experienced out in the snow during the initial match on Talos should have warned him of that. But _noooo_, here he was instead, sick as a dog and lying on his couch because he was too tired and aching to reach his bed. The couch was fine, it was right next to the kitchenette, so whenever he bothered to get up and eat something it'd be just there. Still, those few feet were an awful lot of steps...

He coughed harder into the pillow he'd buried his head under, and his head pounded hard. ...wait, it wasn't his head this time. It was the door. Elliott peeked out under the cushion and mustered up a glare, willing whoever it was to go away. 

Instead, a metallic, cheerful voice -which had no business being this happy while Elliott was down and out- said, "Friend, I have a gift for you! I believe you call it 'soup'."

Okay, maybe he could forgive Pathfinder for being lucky enough not to catch the virus going around. Elliott squinted, his quarters dark because the flourescent lighting started to hurt his eyes and give him a headache. He cursed when his toe stubbed the leg of his coffee table, and he hopped the rest of the way to the door. He was sick, why did he have to do this much moving around?

When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was that smiling face on the screen. The second was how much the hall lights sucked like the indoor lighting. "Wow, friend! You look terrible!"

Elliott knew this was one of the few times he didn't look his absolute best, but he seriously thought of slamming the door in the robot's face. The allure of the steaming soup though stopped him. It was chicken noodle, and it smelled amazing. "Did you just come to give me the soup?"

The smiling face on the screen switched to an exclaimation mark. "It's from our new friend. He said he didn't want to catch your vile germs, so he asked me to give this to you." Pathfinder held out the bowl, and Elliott stared down at it. "You're supposed to accept it." he promptly when Elliott did nothing.

"I know that!" Briefly, he thought of turning it away, but his empty stomach won out. "Did he say anything else?" he grumbled.

"Yes!" Pathfinder said too damn cheerfully. "He also wanted me to give you a message: get better so we can get this date over with."

It was definitely the illness which made his cheeks flush, and Elliott's hands tightened on the soup container. "It's not a date! I don't even like him!"

The image on Pathfinder's screen changed to a frowny face. "That is not a nice thing to say about our new friend. He made you soup, of course he likes you!" 

Elliott was too sick and tired to deal with this, or anything else related to Crypto right now. He was jumbled up inside, thinking of their interactions and wondering this and that until it caused his head to ache. Like right now. "Look, people are com-comple-hard to understand. He made me soup, great, doesn't mean he likes me."

The emoji which flashed on Pathfinder's screen was probably as close to confused as he could get across. "Yes, humans concepts are strange. Don't worry, I will find out more about it!"

Elliott wasn't quite sure just what there was to understand about this, but his brain was too muddle and he decided it was better for his health to let it be. Coughing into his hand, he closed the door and carefully navigated his way to the island in the kitchen. The soup was still warm under his hands, and he wondered when Crypto made this, or that the guy could even cook. It might even be nice to talk to someone other than Makoa about recipes and-

No, that was another thought he wasn't chasing. Elliott was just going to enjoy a free meal, and not spend his time thinking about what this meant. Right, solid idea.

And yet when he was back on the couch and head once more buried under the pillow, Pathfinder's loud voice cut through the air and pierced straight into Elliott's skull. "Exciting news! Our new friend called you an idiot, and he's done so multiple times. I think this means he has given you a nickname, so he _must_ like you!"

Elliott buried his face deeper into the pillow, his face reddening right to the ears. Of course Pathfinder would _actually_ go and ask Crypto about this. As if this whole thing wasn't awkward enough. Elliott was sure he'd never be leaving this room again, and he went into another coughing fit. 

Fine with him. He could leave all his confused feelings about the mysterious, cool hacker at the door. 

...wait, did he just complim-aw, damn it. Elliott groaned, and wanted to slam his head into a wall. Oh yeah, this was going to be a hell of a lot more awkward now.


	2. Chapter 2

Once the illness cleared and everything started to seem normal again, for his own reputation, Elliott tried to pretend there hadn't been a very loud Pathfinder outside his room shouting for everyone to hear. "You heard what? No way, you must have had a hall-haluc-thought you heard something." 

That was his story and he was sticking to it. And for the sake of that reason (not like there was another, anyway), he stayed away from Crypto whenever the other man was around. The compound everyone settled in wasn't as small as the dropship they all lived on for the journey here, but it was harder than Elliott expected not to run into Crypto.

It was also more difficult for Elliott to _not_ notice things about the man. Crypto was composed, and his biggest outburst remained the reflexive way he'd strongarmed Elliott on the dropship (which he totally could have gotten out of it he'd wanted to). 

It was little things, like Pathfinder trying to high five Crypto, only to get a brush off; the robot's screen turned to a crying face and his frame slumped and Crypto immediately did a turnaround and held his hand out. Then he'd stuff his hands into his pockets, and hunch his shoulders awkwardly. Or Natalie would make one of her electricity puns and he'd smile. It was a nice smile, just a slight upturn of his lips, but made him appear less standoffish.

Then Crypto would catch Elliott staring, and Elliott went right back to pretending he wasn't doing exactly that.

Though right now Elliott was lameting the fact there wasn't any alcohol in this place, because he needed to get erase the memory of that performance out in the arena. Oh, he was sure it'd still be on net (just like everything else that never failed to haunt him), but this was a spectacular showing of incompetence on his part.

So what if after using his decoy escape he ran right into Ajay while she was wearing that lava skin and he _might_ have screamed when she turned the corner. She and the rest of her team shot him dead on.

"Looks like I can just frighten up a win for us." Was her quip before Elliott was put down.

The pain was gone, but the humilition lingered and he avoided everyone, _especially_ his team. Worse, there would be no way to spin that fail into something which made him look good. 'I meant to do that?' No way in hell that wasn't getting him knocked down in his fans' eyes.

If he even had them after this. Elliott couldn't even be mad at Ajay; he thought the lava skin was awesome, and he'd probably-no, definitely-be using his ult to terrify the other squads with it.

Just sucked to be the one getting it dropped on. 

Elliott opened a cupboard in the mess hall kitchen, and brought out a blender which was still in a box. He might not be able to find any alcohol, but it wasn't like he couldn't make do with what he had in this place. And if being able able to make booze didn't make him popular again with everyone, then...he'd have to try something else.

Right, no pressure. 

Though it was definitely the blender's fault for being so loud, that when he turned around, he completely missed Crypto sitting at the island. "Gah!" Elliott's back ached from hitting the counter, and he hurried to stop the blender from tipping. "What, are you part cat or something?"

"You were so focused for once, I didn't want to interrupt such a miracle." Crypto said it with such an even expression, maybe that's why Elliott surprised himself with the laugh it wrenched from him.

And, just the smallest bit of surprise flashed on the other man's face. Something warm settled in Elliott's chest, but he chalked it up to the burn of the alcohol as he downed the glass. 

"I am pretty amazing to watch." Elliott poured himself another shot. 

"You've been avoiding me."

Elliott almost choked. Where the hell did _that_ come from? He hid the coughing behind his hand, and shot Crypto an irritated glare. "Okay, one; you did on purpose. Two; I don't know what you're talking bout."

"You always leave the room whenever I enter, or I catch you staring at me before looking away." Crypto's features hardened just a little. "I want to know why."

What Elliott experienced right then was some strange combination of crushing disappointment, and immense relief. "You mean you _don't_ know everything?" A chuckle slipped out at seeing the pinched expression on Crypto's face. '_You do have a really nice face._'

"...what?"

Elliott blinked rapidly, and stared down at his glass. Damn it, he had _not_ meant to say that outloud. If he was getting drunk already, he needed to adjust something in the contents next time. "I-I said you had a stupid nice face. N-no, that's not what I meant either-" he managed to stop himself from digging himself any deeper. This was why he always drank in private, he got a bit too honest and rambly.

"You like me." For a moment, Elliott panicked that he'd said something again he shouldn't have, but his brain registered the words as a statement, not a question. He chanced a glance at Crypto, and couldn't look away. The man's expression was clear, but his gaze seemed to stare right through Elliott. "You don't even know me."

Maybe it was the alcohol or the piercing gaze trained on him, but Elliott's brain to mouth filter decided to take a vacation, "No, I don't. None of us do. You're so busy being mys-ms-cool that we don't even know your _name_. Sure, we don't know Caustic and Bloodhound's names either (and Wraith never counted because of her amne-ame-memory stuff), but at least they're not pro-proje-being vague-both of them are upfront about what they like and don't. Everything about _you_ is just so 'I'm cool, and edgy, and hot, and I run with my hands in my pockets and don't trip over my feet somehow.' And...and...and damn it, I _like_ all that, and your face, and your hair-though you don't have better hair than me but I still like it, and I thought, maybe, you liked me too. You made me soup."

"It was from a can."

"You called it a date."

"Pathfinder it seems does not understand sarcasm."

Elliott's cheeks flushed, and he couldn't even blame the alcohol. "I swear he's gotten the hang of it and is just messing with ev-evry-us." he said, before rubbing a hand over his face. "And now I kind of feel like an idiot."

"Just _now_?" Elliott shot Crypto a look, who glanced away. "And it wasn't going to be a date anyway."

Elliott straightened up. "You're right, it's not a date." he caught Crypto's gaze from the corner of his eye, but ignored it in favor of retrieving something from the counter. He staggered back to his seat, and held out the offering to the other man loftily. "_This_ is a date."

Crypto stared at him blankly, before his lips twitched and Elliott's heart raced faster. Though before any expression on the man's face formed, Crypto glanced down at the dried piece of fruit and his face cleared. "That," he said slowly, "is an _apricot_."

Embarrassment flooded through Elliott all the way to his toes and he wished the floor would swallow him whole. "What?" He swore he grabbed a date. "All this freeze-dried fruit looks the same."

"Or you've had enought to drink, if you thought that was humorous." Crypto replied.

"I am so witty, it's my name! Well, not really, but my last name-" And Elliott was going to stop before he rambled too long again. 

"I see now why you resorted to using a dating website."

Elliott went rigid. "Y-you checked out my profile?" Which meant-_oh no, no, nonononono_-why couldn't he figure out how to get that profile down-wait-

"It was research, in preparation for the games. I did a check on every-"

"Hey, kid! Do you know how to-" Perhaps if Elliott had all his faculties, he'd remember not to grab the new guy, and it registered a second too late his hand on Crypto's arm. And then Elliott's arm was pulled and twisted back, and he was shoved against the counter. "If you wanted to skip all that 'getting to know you' stuff, you could have said so."

The hold on him left abruptly, and Elliott sat up in time to see Crypto shove his hands into his pockets. "You are a fool, to think it's a wise decision to let yourself be so vulnerable with someone here."

"Hasn't stopped anyone else." Elliott rubbed his arm, and turned around on his seat. "Wraith is really different, like; nice chill, than just cold-chill. Natalie's been really supportive of her."

"And what, you think I need the same and you'll be the one to do it?" Crypto's tone turned scathing.

Elliott was quiet for a moment, as he tried to put some effort into this despite the haze still in his head. "No. Er, not like them, anyway. This doesn't have to be r-ro-romantic, that's the word! We can be friends."

"Friends?" Crypto's tone didn't change, but Elliott nodded anyway despite the tightness in his chest. "And how can you suggest that when I know it's not what you really want from me?"

"Friends can like each other, I think. I've never really had friends-not because I'm a loser o-or anything, just, you know, busy." Elliott rushed out, and rubbed the back of his neck. "And we're doing it right now, the not-date thing, er-hanging out, that's it! We're hanging out." he nodded to himself, but stopped when he caught sight of Crypto's expression.

It was something he hadn't seen before, not quite surprise or startled. If Elliott had to guess, he'd think the other man seemed...disbelieving.

"You really don't know anything." Crypto said, a strange finality in his voice.

Elliott huffed, and bunched his shoulders as he grabbed the pitcher and poured another glass. "I know friends drink together, er, right?"

Crypto glanced between him and glass, before moving the cup away. "And they also know when it's time to save your last remaining brain cell."

"Ha! You just admitted we were friends now!"

"I admit nothing, it would irresponsible though to leave you out here. Were we paired on a squad tomorrow, you would be completely useless."

"S-so I'm not useless?" Elliott only got a blank stare, and he grinned. "Well of course I'm not. I got the hair, the face, I'm just perfect."

Crypto gave him a flat stare, before he moved the glass back towards Elliott. "Have as much as you like. There's very little chance we'll be paired up again." he said, before making for the exit.

Elliott blinked rapidly, gapping as he stared after the other man. "Wait, does this mean we're still friends?!" 

Though he didn't receive an answer then, the next morning once Elliott worked off the hangover and wrote down the adjustments for the drink, his phone vibrated. It was a text from an unknown number, but Elliott's eyes widened at the message.

_You're profile on the Solace dating services has been edited and any mention of your excursion is being wiped clean. You owe me two dinners now +1 for the soup._

Elliott hurried to his laptop and checked the website, finding that his page just held his photo and basic information was left. Finally, maybe that damn pumpkin incident could finally die. He paused, and typed back, _Did you hack my account or the website?_

_The website, it was more of a challenge than trying to guess whatever 3 letter password you had._

Elliott snorted, and just for that decided to save Crypto's number under something worth a laugh later, and also just for that their first dinner was so going to be his universe famous pork chops.


End file.
